Hire a Kitchen Remodeler Near You
6 min read · Last updated July 6, 2026
- A midrange kitchen remodel commonly runs $25,000 to $60,000; a cosmetic refresh can land under $15,000, while a major upscale remodel with moved walls or plumbing can pass $100,000.
- Cabinets typically eat 30 to 40 percent of the budget, so the cabinet allowance, not the countertop, is where a bid quietly grows.
- Verify general liability insurance, workers’ compensation, and your state contractor license before demo starts, and confirm that plumbing, gas, and electrical work is done by licensed subs.
- Get at least three written, line-item bids with itemized allowances; a bid far below the others almost always leaves the allowances vague on purpose.
In this article
– What to nail down before you call a remodeler – The questions that separate the bids – Red flags in a kitchen bid – What a kitchen remodel should cost – FAQ
Marcus got three bids to remodel the kitchen in his 1990s two-story outside Atlanta. The numbers came back at $38,000, $52,000, and $60,000 for what looked, on paper, like the same job. The spread was not markup. The low bid carried a $9,000 cabinet allowance and left appliances, tile, and countertops as “to be selected.” The middle bid itemized semi-custom plywood cabinets, a specific quartz counter, and a real appliance budget. Once Marcus saw that the cheap bid was buying stock cabinets and deferring half the selections, the $14,000 gap between the two real options made sense, and the low number stopped looking like a bargain.
What to nail down before you call a remodeler
Spend time on scope before you dial anyone, because scope decides which trades you even need. A cosmetic refresh, meaning new paint, hardware, countertops, and a backsplash with the layout untouched, is a different job from a remodel that moves walls, relocates the sink, or adds a gas line. Layout changes pull in plumbers, electricians, and permits, and they can double a budget.
Set a real number and split your wish list into must-haves and nice-to-haves before the first walkthrough. Knowing that cabinets usually run 30 to 40 percent of the total helps you sanity-check every bid you get back. If a contractor’s cabinet line looks low, the cabinets are probably stock rather than the semi-custom boxes you were picturing.
Decide whether you are relocating plumbing, gas, or electrical, and say so on the first call, because that changes both the price and who has to be licensed to touch it. Check permit rules too. Most municipalities require permits for electrical, plumbing, and structural work in a kitchen, and a contractor who waves that off is telling you how they operate. If your home was built before 1978, opening walls can disturb lead paint, and the EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting rule requires the contractor to be Lead-Safe certified.
The questions that separate the bids
Ask every contractor the same questions and line the answers up side by side, not just the bottom-line totals.
Are you licensed and insured in this state? Ask for the license number and check it on your state contractor board’s site. You want general liability of at least $500,000 and a certificate of insurance naming you as certificate holder. Confirm workers’ compensation, because a kitchen job means crews on ladders and around live circuits. The FTC’s guide to avoiding home improvement scams says to verify that license with your state or county and never pay the full amount up front.
Who does the plumbing, gas, and electrical, and are they licensed? A general remodeler often subcontracts these trades. That is normal, but the subs must be licensed and insured, and their permits must be pulled. “My guy handles all of it” without license numbers is the answer to avoid.
What are the allowances, itemized? This is the question that exposes the cheap bid. Ask for a specific dollar allowance on cabinets, countertops, appliances, fixtures, tile, and flooring. A bid built on vague allowances is designed to grow through change orders once you have signed and demo has started.
What is the schedule, and how do you handle change orders? A real answer names a start date, an estimated number of working days, and a written change-order process with pricing. Kitchens routinely uncover surprises behind the walls, so you want to know the markup on changes before one happens.
What does the workmanship warranty cover, and will you pull the permits? A workmanship warranty of one to two years is reasonable on top of manufacturer warranties for cabinets and appliances. A licensed remodeler pulls the required permits; one who asks you to pull them yourself is dodging accountability.
Insist on a written estimate with line-item detail: demo, cabinets, counters, appliances, plumbing, electrical, tile, flooring, paint, permits, and labor. A bid that reads “kitchen remodel – $45,000” cannot be compared to anything.
Red flags in a kitchen bid
A firm price quoted before anyone has measured your kitchen or before you have made selections is not a real estimate. Kitchen pricing depends on cabinet grade, appliance choices, and what the crew finds behind the drywall.
Watch any bid that leaves allowances vague or defers major selections. “We will figure out cabinets later” is how a $38,000 project becomes a $50,000 one after you are committed. If two of your three bids itemize a cabinet allowance and one does not, you have found the difference.
Never agree to a large upfront deposit. A deposit of 10 to 30 percent on signing, with payments tied to milestones, is standard; full payment in advance or cash-only demands are warning signs. A contractor without a verifiable physical address, or one pressuring you to sign the same day, belongs on the no pile. And match the crew and timeline to the scope: a full gut with moved plumbing is not a one-week, two-person job.
What a kitchen remodel should cost
You do not need a precise number to spot an outlier, just the right range. Most kitchen remodels fall into three tiers, and the level of finish drives most of the spread.
| Scope | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic refresh | $8,000 – $15,000 | Paint, hardware, counters, backsplash; layout untouched |
| Midrange remodel | $25,000 – $60,000 | Semi-custom cabinets, new counters and appliances, same footprint |
| Major remodel (moved walls/plumbing) | $60,000 – $100,000+ | Layout change, custom cabinets, structural or plumbing work |
| Cabinets (share of budget) | 30% – 40% | Stock vs semi-custom vs custom is the biggest single swing |
| Countertops (installed) | $40 – $100 per sq ft | Laminate low, quartz and granite mid, natural stone high |
If you want the full breakdown of what drives these numbers and how each finish level prices out, a dedicated kitchen remodel cost guide goes deeper. For now the rule of thumb holds: a bid well below the others is usually carrying a low cabinet allowance or deferring selections, not doing the same work for less.
A kitchen remodel rarely happens in isolation. If new flooring runs through the space, our guide to hiring a flooring installer walks through the same vetting steps, and once the cabinets are in, our guide to hiring interior painters covers finishing the walls and trim without paying for surprises.
Ready to compare local kitchen remodeler quotes? Find a vetted kitchen remodeler near you via Thumbtack and get free, itemized quotes from background-checked pros.
FAQ
How long does a kitchen remodel take?
A cosmetic refresh can wrap in one to two weeks, while a full midrange remodel typically runs four to eight weeks once demo starts. Projects that move walls, relocate plumbing, or use custom cabinets with long lead times can run three months or more, mostly because cabinets are ordered, not stocked. Ask for a start date, an estimated number of working days, and the cabinet lead time in writing.
Do I need a permit for a kitchen remodel?
Usually, if the work touches plumbing, gas, electrical, or structure. A cosmetic refresh that only swaps counters, paint, and hardware often does not, but the moment a wall moves or a circuit is added, most municipalities require a permit. A licensed remodeler knows your local rules and includes permit costs in the bid. If they tell you to skip the permit, treat it as a red flag.
How much of my budget should go to cabinets?
Plan on cabinets consuming 30 to 40 percent of the total. That is why the cabinet allowance is the single most important line to compare across bids. Stock cabinets keep the number down, semi-custom offers more sizes and finishes at a moderate premium, and custom cabinetry sits at the top. A bid that looks cheap almost always has a low cabinet allowance behind it.
How many quotes should I get for a kitchen remodel?
Three is the right floor. Three line-item bids with itemized allowances let you spot the contractor who underpriced the cabinets or deferred the selections, which is the most common way a kitchen bid comes in low. For a large or complex remodel, a fourth bid gives you a better price anchor.
